


The Rings

by fannishliss



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky and Steve in love, Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, Minor Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Multi, Secret Marriage, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 11:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1940235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannishliss/pseuds/fannishliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sharp-eyed reporter spots a ring on Steve's finger, prompting Steve to tell the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rings

**title: The Rings**  
author: [](http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://fannishliss.livejournal.com/)**fannishliss**  
pairing: Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers  
rating: G

summary: A sharp-eyed reporter spots a ring on Steve's finger, prompting Steve to tell the story.

Prompted by [](http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/profile)[**hells_half_acre**](http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/) , see her prompt at the end.

\---  
  
"Captain! Captain! Who's the lucky lady?" Gossip columnist Corinna Smith's brassy tones ring out. She's a perennial thorn in Steve's side; it's like she takes personal affront at Steve's wholesome image.  And now she's spotted the ring.

Steve feels more than a slight zing of irritation at being, yet again, waylaid by the press on the way into the Tower. It's almost enough to make him want to move into the suite of rooms Tony keeps offering -- trading off privacy either way he guesses, but Brooklyn still feels more like home.

"You wanna just ignore em?" Bucky asks.

Steve shakes his head.  "PR," he says, shrugging.  He lifts an eyebrow to Bucky, who nods back.

Bucky's assent matters to Steve.  Bucky's an Avenger now, but Steve's not going to subject the former Winter Soldier to public scrutiny any more than he absolutely has to.  Captain America has always been a bit of a dancing monkey -- he's used to it -- but Bucky never signed on to that.  He's doing so well now, could hold his own fine in front of a crowd with some semblance of his old rakish charm, but Steve didn't want that for him. He's happy to do the talking.

Steve puts on a smile to placate the crowd.

"We're on our way up to the Rebuild Benefit, ladies and gentlemen -- let's make it quick, okay?"

The Avengers are doing another mix and mingle with billionaires who aren't Tony, to raise funds to help the recovery effort after the Chitauri attack.  It's not like he's in any hurry to go up, but wealthy patrons are the lesser of two evils when compared to a horde of reporters.   He wonders how anyone could look at his plastic smile and not see his impatience, but whatever works.

"Maria Hill is working for Stark Industries now, is that correct?" a young man shouts.  Pepper would know the names of every one of these reporters, she would know whom to answer and whom to avoid, but Steve hasn't been back in New York long enough to get his bearings with most of the reporters.

"Yes, but you should ask Ms. Potts about Stark business," Steve replies.

"Sharon Carter is still in DC with the CIA -- were you reluctant to put the moves on Peggy's grandniece?" Smith's ringing tones break through the din.

"Agent Carter has my profound respect for her defense of the Triskelion from Hydra infiltrators," Steve says, his Captain America tones calming the reporters for just one moment.

"On the run with Natasha Romanov -- you must have bonded!" yells another young man.

Bucky rolls his eyes and purses his lips, hiding a grin. He knows all about bonding with Natasha.  Steve had been surprised at how awkward it wasn't, knowing his oldest friend and his new friend had been lovers.

"Yes, she's a good friend.  I trust her with my life," Steve affirms. Bucky nods at Steve's words, his little sideways Russian nod that Steve was still getting used to.  Steve feels sick at the way the press has dragged through Natasha's past since her exposure of Hydra on the internet.  Any opportunity to vouch for her personally he was more than happy to take. The Winter Soldier's time with her in the Red Room is still a dead secret, though, and Steve is grateful for small favors.

"Is it Darcy Lewis?" another reporter shouts, grasping at straws.

Steve lets himself chuckle.  Darcy is great, but it's crazy to think she and Steve would ever make a match.  "Darcy keeps us up on the pop culture references, she'll drag me and Bucky screaming into the twenty-first century whether we like it or not."

"Sergeant Barnes -- can you comment on your recovery?" a more polite voice calls out directly to Bucky.  Steve seems to remember he was from the Times.

"I'm well, thanks," Bucky says. He flashes his toothy smile but lets Steve handle the reporters.

"Bucky's been through a lot, but he's doing great.  It's a real miracle to have him back."

"Was he your best man?" Corinna Smith brays.

"Bucky Barnes has always been my best man," Steve announces proudly, with a steady smile -- not gritting his teeth at all.

"So you are married then!" Corinna shouts.

Point blank, Steve doesn't want to lie any more.  A wedding vow is personal, but it's also, by nature, public.  Steve locks eyes with Bucky who gives a minute nod.   "Yes."

The crowd explodes with renewed chaos.   "What's her name?" "Who is she?" "Why is it such a secret?"

It was only a matter of time before the cat was out of the bag, Steve knew.  His marriage is public record, available on file at City Hall for any scavenger with the least ability to dig.

Steve raises his hands a little and miraculously the crowd quiets down.  "Let me tell you, in my own words."

Except for the constant clicking of cameras, the reporters hush, expectant, mentally drafting the drama for their columns.

"You may know that when I was a kid, we didn't have a lot of money," Steve says.   The reporters all listen intently.  "My father died before I could remember.  My mother was a nurse, and she worked hard to take care of me as best she could, but she died of tuberculosis when I was fifteen.  She didn't leave much in the way of material goods-- she'd sold almost everything that she and my father had scraped together, including his wedding ring -- but the one thing she left me was her own wedding ring, to give to that one special person who'd share my life. I like to think she knew how my choice would turn out."

Steve looks out around the crowd, to see if any of them would understand.  They're all frowning, trying to work it out.  No one speaks, so he goes on.

"The Depression didn't ruin everybody though.  The Barneses were always frugal, and they hadn't kept their money in banks, so the Depression didn't hit them as hard. Bucky had his own second hand wireless, did you know that? And his dad had a phonograph, and a whole box of records?" Steve sees the reporters smiling tolerantly at what had been a real source of pride and joy to Steve and Bucky back in those threadbare days, but he was used to folks in these modern times not getting it, so he goes on. "Bucky's mother had family jewelry to divide among her four children for when they got married. Bucky claimed his pretty early I guess." Steve twists the gold band around his finger, his heart pounding.

The reporters stand silent, waiting for Steve to get to the point.

Bucky steps a little closer to Steve, backing him up. His lips are barely quirked in a slight smile, his heavy lidded eyes content.  He twitches his lips to Steve, a clear sign to go on.

There's a murmur but no outcry as Steve reaches out to snag Bucky's right hand and lift it up before the eyes of the crowd.

"This is my mother's ring," Steve says.  "We hammered it out to fit Bucky's little finger." Bucky wiggles his fingers -- no one has noticed the tiny gold band on the smallest finger of Bucky's right hand.  Everyone is always too distracted by staring at the left.

"And this is my ma's dad's ring," Bucky says, his voice quiet but carrying, pride lighting up his smile as he catches Steve's left hand in his own.  "Fit Steve perfectly, even when he wasn't as tall as he is now."

"When were you married?" Corinna shouts out.

"May first, 1937," Steve smiles.

"Before you joined the Army -- so you had to keep it secret?"  Corinna yells.

There's a slight grumble of disapproval from the reporters, and Steve has a moment of doubt -- but then he realizes that the press are annoyed with the way Corinna skirts the line of rudeness, not with him and Bucky.

"In those days, two men in love couldn't be open like now," Steve says.  "In the Army, it would have meant a discharge."

Steve feels Bucky standing straight and tall beside him, just like he always has. "I saved this kid's hide so many times," Bucky points out, "and we were good at keeping secret.  A lot of folks were a lot less lucky."

"Where were the rings all this time?" another reporter asks politely.

"When I joined up, all our belongings went into storage," Steve says.  "We couldn't wear our rings out in public anyway, so we thought they'd be safe till we got home.  Turns out they were -- though, we had to get them back from the Smithsonian.  They were labelled as belonging to my parents, which was almost right."

The reporters laugh and Steve and Bucky smile.  Steve can't quite believe how well the news is breaking. After growing up in an era of fear and secrecy, this new world makes him kind of proud.

"But what about Peggy?" Corinna yells. "Was she just a smokescreen?"

"Peggy Carter has always been my best girl," Steve says sternly, "and I won't hear a word spoken against her."

"Peggy was swell," Bucky adds.  "A real straight shooter.  She loved Steve enough to help us keep our secret."

As Corinna opens her mouth again, Bucky finally steps forward.  The reporters shrink back despite Bucky's soft smile -- or maybe because of it.  His eyes are flat and cold as steel.  "Drop it about Peggy, sister, you don't want Steve getting hot."

The other reporters stifle nervous laughter and draw away from Corinna Smith, and she frowns and keeps her mouth shut, for a second.  Steve and Bucky turn at last to leave.

"But did you really get married-- at City Hall?" she calls out to their backs.

Steve stops and turns back to the crowd of reporters, and when he's sure he has their attention, he says, "Bucky and I have been married since 1937.  We're proud to live in the great state of New York where our marriage is recognized as legal, but being on file with the City doesn't change a thing about our commitment to one another. Marrying the person you love is a right that should be defended for every American." Steve shines his luminous blue gaze on the crowd and makes sure to give the weight of Captain America to his final words.

"It's just basic human dignity," Bucky adds lightly.

Finally they make it through the doors, across the lobby and into the elevator.

"Oh my god, Buck," Steve says, scrubbing at his face.

"You did good, Steve," Bucky says.

"I hate, I god damn hate being grilled by reporters," Steve says.  "Is my face as red as it feels?"

"Not at all.  You're cool as a cucumber," Bucky smiles, kissing the end of his partner's nose.

"I'm so glad you were there.  If you hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done."

"Probably run away the first chance you got," Bucky says, knowing Steve's habits.  "Worse, would have been if Natalia had been there with you."

"Oh my god," Steve says, just picturing Natasha's frank Russian gaze and open, challenging answers.  Steve's friendship with Natasha has only deepened since she'd been so devoted to Bucky's recovery, and the bonds she shares with Bucky are just another aspect of the things Steve loves about her.  He's grateful that Clint's best girl has so much love to give, because Bucky deserves the best of everything, if Steve has anything to say about it.

"I love you, Steven R. Barnes," Bucky teases.

"I love you, James B. Rogers," Steve answers, laughing at their old and well-loved play with their names. They kiss, sweet and happy, just as the elevator doors slide open to the party, and a whole new crowd of reporters snap a thousand photos and start shouting questions.

"Here we go again," Bucky laughs.

"Steve! James!" Natasha waves.

"Here she comes!" Bucky warns under his breath.

Steve smiles broadly and holds on tight to Bucky's right hand, swinging it high in the air.

"Peggy knew! 1937! Family heirlooms! Proud to be legal!" Steve summarizes.  "Natasha!  Bring us a couple Manhattans?"  Steve trusts Pepper's mixologist, who perfectly recreates the drinks Steve and Bucky knew in their day.  They may not feel the alcohol, but they still like the taste and the comforting social ritual.

"On it, Steve," Natasha says, snagging drinks easily from a passing tray.

"You're the best," Bucky says, blowing a kiss at her over his classic cocktail.

"Yes, I am," Natasha says, seriously.

"She really is," Clint confirms wrapping an arm around her waist.

Steve just smiles, feeling like everything's finally perfect. Bucky by his side, and good friends to laugh with --  life doesn't get any better.

====  
[](http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://hells-half-acre.livejournal.com/) **hells_half_acre** , whose headcanon jives pretty much perfectly with mine,  prompted:  
I love "coming out publicly" stories - either about announcing to the press that Bucky is alive, or announcing (or the press/public discovering) that Captain America is bisexual and in love with his long-lost BFF... and the reaction to all that.  Obviously, I'm asking for Bucky/Steve... That said, I prefer to have Bucky be bisexual too, and since I have a headcanon that Clint/Natasha are in an open relationship and that Steve and Natasha are BFFs, I don't mind if Bucky is also in a friends-with-benefits relationship with Natasha too (just as long as Steve is 100% okay with it, and there is no Steve/Natasha).

\--thanks for the great prompt!  :D

 


End file.
